The different types of e-commerce.

B2C: From professional to customer
The B2C principle is the one we spontaneously think of when we talk about e-commerce sites. This acronym stands for “Business to Consumer” and refers to all transactions carried out between a company and individual consumers. In other words, it’s the most popular sales model on the Web.

In B2C, commercial enterprises sell directly to individuals. The customer is the final consumer of the product or service sold. Let’s look at an example. When you buy shoes from an online shoe store (to wear yourself or to give as a gift), this is an e-commerce transaction between a selling company and a consumer. It is therefore a B2C form of e-commerce.

In business jargon, when we speak of B2C, we also mean all the communication revolving around the sale itself, aimed at potential or existing private customers. In other words, the B2C model also includes all consumer-oriented marketing management.

B2B: Transactions between professionals
B2B is a type of business-to-business trade. The acronym stands for “Business to Business”. For example, this could involve commercial relations between a manufacturer or wholesaler and a retailer. If you’re embarking on an e-commerce adventure, you’re likely to be involved in two types of e-commerce.

Firstly, you’ll need to buy your products from a supplier. As you’ll be a professional, this will be a B2B relationship. Then, you’ll resell the products you’ve purchased to individual customers. In this case, the relationship is B2C. These two models are perfectly complementary. 
B2B is not end-customer oriented. It only addresses a database of companies. The products purchased and the sales experience are therefore not the same. While B2C is essentially about the finished, physical, mass-produced product, B2B integrates different types of items as raw materials, which can then be repackaged or combined before being sold to end consumers. In B2B, the purchasing and negotiation process is generally longer. Indeed, it very often involves more buyers.

What’s more, their expertise is not the same as that of individual customers. Professionals know exactly what they want, and therefore have much more technical expectations. The marketing message delivered to them is therefore not the same as when addressing individual customers.
In B2C, the marketing strategy is to trigger emotion in the buyer. In B2B, purchases are often much more rational, based on tangible, concrete and measurable data. The buyer’s primary aim is to rationalize his purchase, and then get the best possible return.

B2A: between business and administration
B2A stands for “Business to Administration”. This form of e-commerce is somewhat akin to B2B, and is not aimed directly at end-users. It involves transactions between companies and government agencies online. It can also be called B2G, for “Business to Government”. It’s exactly the same model.

B2A concerns all relations between companies and public authorities. It generally involves the exchange of legal or administrative documents. If this form has developed considerably in recent years, it’s primarily because companies and public authorities are increasingly dealing over the web, to speed up procedures. Electronics improve efficiency, and B2A is gaining ground all the time. Various tools and forms can now be downloaded directly online. Tax payments are also made via the Internet.

Need an example to help you understand? When a company has to pay taxes, such as VAT or business property tax, the tax authorities send a notification via a dedicated Internet service. On receipt of the tax notice, the company pays the tax due to the government. This is a commercial exchange between a company and the administration, between an online store and a French public service, for example. This is a B2A e-commerce solution.